Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Jimmy Lai

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of the prosecution, imprisonment and trial of media owner Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong for global press freedom.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: On 17 December, the Foreign Secretary called on the Hong Kong authorities to end their prosecution of Jimmy Lai and release him. We will continue to stand up for those who are targeted simply for exercising their human rights. The UK will always defend media freedom and freedom of expression globally. On 29 December, we and our Media Freedom Coalition partners signed a statement outlining our deep concern at the continued attacks on freedom of the press in Hong Kong, including the prolonged prosecution of Jimmy Lai. The UK has also been clear on its strong opposition to China's National Security Law in Hong Kong which has curtailed press freedom and we have urged the authorities to repeal it.

Jimmy Lai

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they intend to make to the government of China concerning UK citizens being further implicated in the prosecution and trial of Jimmy Lai.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is gravely concerned that anyone is facing prosecution under the National Security Law, and particularly concerned at the politically motivated prosecution of British national Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong. On 17 December, the Foreign Secretary called on the Hong Kong authorities to end his prosecution and to release him. We continue to raise his case with the Chinese authorities; the Foreign Secretary last did so with Foreign Minister Wang Yi on 5 December. Diplomats from our Consulate-General are attending his court proceedings.

Myanmar: Democracy

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government when they last raised the treatment of pro-democracy advocates in Burma at the United Nations, and when they intend to do so again; and what discussions they have had with the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court or with the Members of the International Court of Justice to ensure that members of the Burmese military who are responsible for torture, sexual violence, and killings are brought to justice.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: On 15 November 2023 the UK co-sponsored a UN General Assembly resolution calling on the Myanmar military to release all those who have been arbitrarily detained on political grounds. We will continue to seek opportunities to raise our concerns at the UN and other multilateral fora. We support the International Criminal Court Prosecutor's initiative to investigate acts committed against the Rohingya. In November, we jointly filed a declaration of intervention at the International Court of Justice in The Gambia's case alleging Myanmar has perpetrated genocide against the Rohingya, in order to set out our interpretation of the relevant provisions of the Genocide Convention before the Court.

Myanmar: Democracy

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of torture and fatalities of pro-democracy activists in Burma.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of estimates by Burma Campaign UK that 26,000 people have been arrested by the military since the coup at the start of 2021, and that 20,00 political prisoners are currently in jail in Burma.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK condemns the ongoing serious human rights violations by the Myanmar military regime. Nearly 20,000 people are arbitrarily detained in Myanmar - among them journalists, healthcare workers and political prisoners and over 25,000 have been arrested since the coup in February 2021. We have received reports of torture, sexual violence, ill treatment and fatalities in detention. We continue to call for the release of all those arbitrarily detained, including most recently in a UN General Assembly resolution co-sponsored by the UK and adopted on 15 November 2023.

Awni Khattab

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made, if any, to the government of Israel regarding the detention of Awni Khattab, Head of the Palestine Red Crescent Society’s Ambulance Center in Khan Younis, by Israeli forces on 22 November.

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made, if any, to the government of Israel regarding the detention of two Palestine Red Crescent Society staff by Israeli authorities in Gaza on 9 December while delivering supplies to Al Ahli hospital as part of a UN convoy.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: It is the longstanding policy of successive UK Governments that we do not comment on individual cases. However, we are particularly concerned over reports about Israeli detention practices. The Government is clear that administrative detention should be used only where it is justified in accordance with international law. Those under detention should either be charged or released. The UK is committed to working with Israel to secure improvements in its detention practices and repeatedly calls on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law. This has been repeatedly raised by both the PM and the Foreign Secretary with PM Netanyahu. The safety of humanitarian personnel and healthcare workers in Gaza is critical to enable aid to reach those who need it most. The FCDO is actively engaging with international partners and those operating on the ground to do all we can to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Israel and Lebanon: Christianity

Lord Patten: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the safety of the Christian Aramaean communities on the Israel–Lebanon border.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is actively monitoring the Blue Line boundary between Israel and Lebanon, and engaging closely with partners across the region. We are a strong supporter of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and call for places of worship to be respected. Israel and Lebanon have made clear their commitment to freedom of religion, and we encourage both Governments to do all that they can to uphold the values of equality for all enshrined in their laws. Our Embassies in Tel Aviv and Beirut, and our Consulate General in Jerusalem regularly raise issues of religious freedom with the Israeli and Lebanese Governments.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to remarks byLord Sharpe of Epsom on 18 December 2023 (HL Deb cols 2046–2049), what plans they have to respond to the recommendations of the Hazara Inquiry report, published in September 2022, and which of its recommendations, if any, they plan to take forward.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The report has done much to raise awareness of the situation of Hazaras in Afghanistan. In line with the report's recommendations, we continue to monitor and document discrimination and abuses against Hazaras, both through the UN and other institutions, and through our own programme work. The FCDO does not plan to respond further to the report.More broadly, officials from the UK Mission to Afghanistan regularly press Taliban acting ministers and Afghan officials to protect religious and ethnic minorities, including Shia Muslims and Hazara communities.

Department of Health and Social Care

Medical Records: Firearms

The Earl of Shrewsbury: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish data on how many doctors have adopted the software for markers on the medical notes of firearm certificate holders.

Lord Markham: A digital version of the firearms marker has been rolled out to all general practices in England, and this was completed in May 2023. When the police inform the general practitioner (GP) that the patient has been granted a firearms licence, the GP adds the appropriate clinical code to a patient’s medical record. The marker is used throughout the five-year validity of the firearm certificate and automatically highlights to the GP when patients recorded as firearms certificate holders or applicants are diagnosed with relevant medical conditions, such as depression or dementia. The British Medical Association has produced guidance for GPs about firearm digital marker use and signed a memorandum of understanding in 2019 with the National Police Chiefs Council and the Home Office which encouraged GPs to place a firearms flag on patient records when requested.

Medical Records: Firearms

The Earl of Shrewsbury: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has had with the Home Office concerning the rollout of markers on the medical notes of firearm certificate holders.

Lord Markham: Following the publication of new Home Office statutory guidance for chief officers of police on firearms licensing, which came into effect on 1 November 2021, the Department and NHS England, formerly NHS Digital, worked with the Home Office, the British Medical Association, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and other stakeholders to design and roll out the new digital firearms marker.

Patients: Transgender People

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to issue new guidance concerning trans people in hospitals; if so, when; and whether patients who are biologically male will be placed on wards with those who are biologically females.

Lord Markham: NHS England is updating its Delivering Same-Sex Accommodation Guidance. A revised version will be published in due course.It is imperative that National Health Service trusts respect the privacy and dignity of patients. The Government has been clear that patients should not have to share sleeping accommodation with others of the opposite sex and should have access to segregated bathroom and toilet facilities.As set out by the former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in October 2023, proposals to protect the privacy, dignity and safety of patients will be brought forward as part of the routine update of the NHS Constitution and its Handbook. Any measures consulted on will be in line with the Equality Act 2010, respecting the rights of all patients in hospital settings.

HIV Infection: Health Services

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to re-engagepeople back into HIV care who have been lost to follow up.

Lord Markham: As part of the HIV Action Plan, we are committed to ensure rapid and adequate access to HIV diagnosis and treatment, and support for those living with HIV.Less than 4,500 people were estimated to be living with undiagnosed HIV in England in 2022 and we once again achieved the UNAIDS 95-95-95 target with 95% of people living with HIV being diagnosed, 98% of those diagnosed being on treatment and 98% of those on treatment having an undetectable viral load.The most recent monitoring and evaluation report of the HIV Action Plan, published by the UK Health Security Agency in an online-only format, shows that in 2022, 76% of adults first diagnosed with HIV in England were linked to HIV care within two weeks, 87% within one month and 93% within three months. This is an improvement compared to 2019.A subgroup of the HIV Action Plan implementation Steering Group (ISG) is providing advice on increasing the number of people retained and re-engaged in care and receiving effective medical care, which will be considered by the ISG.In its first 18 months, the NHS England HIV opt-out testing programme in emergency departments has identified 344 people previously diagnosed with HIV but disengaged from care, and the programme is hence providing opportunities to re-engage those individuals in care.

Abortion: Statistics

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Markham on 18 December (HL661), whythe 2022 and 2023 abortion statistics for England and Wales will not be published concurrently in April 2024.

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Markham on 18 December (HL660), what arethe operational reasons for not publishing the abortion statistics for 2022 in England and Wales until April 2024.

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) clinical, or (2) other, advice,including that from abortion providers, theyreceived prior to their decision not to release the abortion statistics comparing data from the Department’s Abortion Notification System and the Hospital Episode Statistics on an annual basis; and what was the evidential rationale for that decision.

Lord Markham: The 2023 Abortion Statistics for England and Wales will not be published concurrently with 2022 statistics due to the need to collect, analyse and quality assure 2023 data. Work on this analysis will begin after publication of the 2022 statistics.Publication of the 2022 statistics has been delayed due to a number of significant reasons, including issues associated with moving to a new data processing system, ongoing technical issues with the aspects of the system, and a significant increase in the number of paper HSA4 forms being submitted. Other factors that have delayed publication of the full 2022 statistics include an increased workload following the introduction of longer paper and electronic forms to collect additional information about medical abortion following the amendment of the Abortion Act in 2022 to permit home use of early medical abortion pills up to 10 weeks gestation.As an interim step, the Department published abortion statistics covering the first six months of 2022 in June 2023.The report comparing abortion complications data from the Department’s Abortion Notification System and the Hospital Episode Statistics was an experimental one-time publication. It was not the intention that this would become an annual publication. No clinical or other advice was sought prior to this decision. However, the Department is inviting views on abortion statistics for England and Wales via an online user engagement survey as well as via email. We welcome responses on all aspects of abortion statistics, including future of publication of abortion complications data.

HIV Infection: Health Services

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking to expand provision of HIV peer support in all areas of England.

Lord Markham: The HIV Action Plan is the cornerstone of our approach in England to drive forward progress and achieve our goal to end new HIV transmissions, AIDS- and HIV-related deaths within England by 2030. It includes a key objective to improve the quality of life for people living with HIV, including through peer support.The Department is working with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to share emerging evidence on the effectiveness of voluntary sector-led peer support networks for local commissioners to develop similar models. The forthcoming UKHSA publication of the results of the Positive Voices survey will include data on the experiences of people living with HIV and inform our work to improve the provision of HIV services, including peer support.A subgroup of the HIV Action Plan implementation Steering Group, providing advice on increasing the number of people retained and re-engaged in care and receiving effective medical care, is also considering the role of peer support services in achieving these outcomes.

Wheelchairs

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of thequality of locally led provision of NHS wheelchair services throughout the country.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Wheelchair Alliance reportThe Value of a Wheelchair, published in December 2023, whether they willundertake a review of current investment levels in wheelchair services to ensure that demand and demographic changes are taken fully into account.

Lord Markham: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the provision and commissioning of local wheelchair services and the development of their local wheelchair service eligibility criteria based on the needs of their local population. NHS England is responsible for funding allocations to ICBs and supports ICBs to commission effective, efficient, and personalised wheelchair services. The Government does not currently have any plans to review current investment levels in wheelchair services.The Government has not made an assessment of the quality of locally led provision of wheelchair services, however NHS England is taking a number of steps to reduce regional variation in the quality and provision of NHS wheelchairs and to support ICBs to reduce delays in people receiving timely intervention and wheelchair equipment. These steps include, firstly, establishing a national wheelchair dataset, whereby data has been collected quarterly from clinical commissioning groups, now ICBs, since July 2015 and supports the drive for improvements in wheelchair services. This data looks at waiting times at the various stages across the pathway to enable targeted action if improvement is required. The second step revolves around developing wheelchair currencies, whereby the currency model offers a structured way for providers, commissioners and systems to understand the complexity of a patient population and support commissioning conversations using the currencies as an evidence base. The model also supports benchmarking across localities and on a national basis. Additionally, NHS England is publishing a model wheelchair service specification. This specification sets out NHS England’s ambition for excellent wheelchair services and is a tool to enable ICBs to review and improve their wheelchair services. Finally, NHS England is introducing personal wheelchair budgets and legal rights for people, which offers a clear framework to commission personalised wheelchair services which are outcomes focused and integrated.

HIV Infection: Mental Health Services

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps theyare taking (1) to ensure provision of mental health services for people living with HIV, and (2) to ensure there are effective referral pathways between HIV clinics and NHS Talking Therapies.

Lord Markham: NHS England has now approved plans to fully delegate the commissioning of appropriate specialised services to integrated care boards (ICBs), including specialised HIV services, in the East of England, Midlands and the North West regions of England from April 2024.NHS England will also continue to jointly commission appropriate specialised services with ICBs, including specialised HIV services, in the South West, South East, London and the North East and Yorkshire regions of England for a further year. This will help support a smooth transition of commissioning responsibility by April 2025.The national service specification sets out the requirement for agreeing pathways which define responsibility for meeting non-HIV needs of patients and identify shared care, including clinical psychology and psychological support services.From 2018/19, all NHS Talking Therapies services have been commissioned to establish pathways for people living with long-term physical health conditions as a key mechanism to ensure the delivery of increased access to psychological therapies. The NHS Talking Therapies Programme has developed an e-learning module for Talking Therapies staff on HIV. This will enable therapists to support people with anxiety and depression related to the experience of living with HIV.

Women and Equalities

Gender Recognition Certificates

Baroness Barker: To ask His Majesty's Government how many people have acquired Gender Recognition Certificates using section 1(1)(b) of the Gender Recognition Act 2004 in each year since statistics were first reported in 2009.

Baroness Barran: All statistics on the number of people acquiring Gender Recognition Certificates through the overseas route are published by HM Courts and Tribunals Service in their quarterly tribunal statistics release found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.The information in the table below presents the successful outcomes of GRC applications under section 1(1)(b) of the Gender Recognition Act 2004. Please note the third column in answer to your question. Outcomes of overseas route applications for a gender recognition certificate [1]Financial YearTotalFull GRC GrantedInterim GRC granted 2RefusedApplication WithdrawnNo Fee PaidErrorReopened2009/1096-21--..2010/11229-57-1..2011/12138-41--..2012/13117111-1..2013/141712-23--..2014/151411-12--..2015/16127-23--..2016/171412-1--1..2017/183323-7111..2018/192715-732-..2019/202723-22--..2020/213327-312-..2021/223330-2--1-2022/23554614-13-Source:Tribunal Statistics Quarterly (July to September 2023) Table GRP_3 Applications disposed of by the Gender Recognition Panel, by type of track and outcome, Q1 2009/10 to Q2 2023/24 To Note:Full GRCs above relate only to those which are issued by the Panel.[1] Details of which track to apply to can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/apply-gender-recognition-certificate[2] Interim certificates are issued to successful applicants who meet the criteria for gender recognition but are a) not eligible to remain married following gender recognition because they were married under the law of Northern Ireland, b) eligible but either they and/or spouse have decided not to remain married after issue of full GRC, c) in a protected civil partnership where only one partner has applied for gender recognition (or where both have applied but only one was successful) or d) in a civil partnership but one which is not a protected civil partnership. In these circumstances once the successful applicant has ended their marriage or civil partnership, they can be issued a full GRC. Key:.. Not available- zero

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agriculture: Land Use

Baroness Young of Old Scone: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will, in line with previous commitments, publish a land use framework for England in 2023.

Lord Benyon: The Land Use Framework will be published in due course. The Framework will build on the insight from the House of Lords Land Use in England Committee’s inquiry and support delivery of the full range of Government commitments through multifunctional, resilient and productive landscapes.

Public Footpaths: Coastal Areas

Lord Rosser: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Benyon on 27 November where he stated that they have "nearly completed the 2,700-mile King Charles III England Coast Path", by what date was the path completed, or will be completed.

Lord Benyon: Work on the King Charles III England Coast Path is progressing with over 2600 miles approved and 1040 miles now open to the public. At 2,700 miles, when complete it will be the longest waymarked and maintained coastal walking route in the world. We committed in the Environmental Improvement Plan, published in January 2023, for the path to be fully walkable by the end of 2024. We continue to work at pace towards this commitment.

Hydrofluorocarbons

Lord Carrington: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the number of products where there are no viable alternatives to using F gases.

Lord Benyon: We are undertaking a review of the F-gas Regulation. Any resulting proposals for change will be based on an assessment of the viability of alternative gases to determine the extent to which we can deliver further F-gas use and emissions reductions.

Hydrofluorocarbons: Manufacturing Industries

Lord Carrington: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they plan to have with manufacturers from the heating, refrigeration and air conditioning industries on the use of F gases.

Lord Carrington: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the F gas consultation allows industry sufficient time to carry out safety checks on alternative gases.

Lord Benyon: As part of our review so far, we have engaged extensively with industry to gain valuable input on the use of F-gases and their alternatives. Any consultation on proposals for change will allow sufficient time for industry to share views on aspects such as the safety of those alternatives.

Hydrofluorocarbons: Regulation

Lord Carrington: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their proposed timescale for the consultation and review of F gas regulation.

Lord Benyon: We are in the process of reviewing the GB F-gas Regulation and intend to consult on proposed changes in due course.